Los Angeles City Council members Curren Price and Kevin de León, who have been caught up in separate scandals, were reinstated to a handful of committees by Council President Paul Krekorian in a decision announced Wednesday.
Price, who represents part of South Los Angeles, voluntarily resigned from his committees after he was accused of embezzlement, perjury and conflict of interest in June. He has repeatedly proclaimed his innocence.
De León, whose district includes part of the Eastside, appeared in a secretly recorded conversation with racist and sexist comments that became public in October 2022. In the uproar that followed, interim Council President Mitch O' removed him from office. all its committees. Farrell.
Now running for a second term in the Nov. 5 election, De León apologized to his constituents for what he said and did not say during the conversation.
Krekorian, in a letter to City Clerk Holly Wolcott, said he has placed De León on four committees: those dealing with housing and homelessness, commerce and tourism, energy and environment, and transportation. De León also maintained his seat on the Referred Powers Board. That panel has not met since he joined in 2022, said De León spokesman Pete Brown.
In his letter, which was also sent to all council members, Krekorian said he had tapped Price to serve on committees that oversee public safety, commerce and tourism, civil rights and personnel issues.
The changes take effect immediately. Krekorian, who has sole power to assign committee assignments, gave no explanation and his office had no immediate comment.
The announcement represents a sharp change from the period immediately following the audio leak. De León faced widespread calls for him to resign for his involvement in the conversation with two other council members and a union leader that included, among other things, racist and derogatory comments about then-Councilman Mike Bonin, who is white, and Bonin's son, which is black.
Two weeks after the audio became public, Krekorian sent De León a letter saying the city would not “begin the healing process” until he resigned from public office. At that time, the president of the Council, Nury Martínez, had already resigned due to her role in the recorded conversation.
“There is no realistic chance that you will be able to legislate effectively as a member of this body,” Krekorian wrote at the time.
On Wednesday, De León issued a statement saying he is happy with the changes.
“These specific earmarks are particularly critical to the residents of my district,” he said, “and I look forward to helping shape policies that will provide tangible benefits to my constituents and Angelenos across Los Angeles.”
Price, for his part, said he is “deeply honored” to receive the committee's new assignments.
“I am ready to dive back in and participate in critical decisions that will have a substantial impact on both the current and future landscape of Los Angeles,” he said in a statement.
Los Angeles County prosecutors accused Price of perjury, saying he failed to disclose his wife's business dealings with developers whose projects she voted for. They accuse him of violating conflict of interest laws by voting in favor of two of those developers' affordable housing projects between 2019 and 2021. And they say he misappropriated public funds by arranging for his now wife to receive health benefits from the city at the same time. when her marriage was not legally valid.
Unrig LA organizer Rob Quan expressed disappointment in the council president's actions and said he doesn't understand what has changed for either Price or De León. Quan, whose organization focuses on anti-corruption efforts at City Hall, said it is “highly inappropriate” to put Price, who faces 10 felony charges, on a council committee that deals with law enforcement.
Quan also said it is “baffling” that De León got seats on so many committees.
“There really doesn't seem to be any standards on the board, or any kind of consistency,” he said.
Price faced serious political danger last year. Two of his former colleagues, Jose Huizar and Mark Ridley-Thomas, were suspended from the council after facing felony charges. Price publicly argued that he should not be suspended, saying he is innocent.
The council committee recommending such disciplinary measures ultimately took no action.
De León, who is seeking a second four-year term, came in second in the March 5 primary behind Ysabel Jurado, a tenant rights attorney.
On Wednesday, his reelection campaign announced that he had won the endorsement of Locals 13 and 63 of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, which represent more than 8,000 workers in the region.
